Sheriff bills GOP for deputies' work

October 23, 1994

Hoping to close the door on a sticky political issue, Anne Arundel County Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack Sr. has billed the state's Republican Party for deputies who directed traffic at a July 4 fund-raiser.

Mr. Pepersack, who is fighting for his job in a tough campaign against Democrat George F. Johnson IV, has come under fire for allowing deputies to work at the fund-raiser for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Brock at the candidate's Annapolis home.

Mr. Johnson has seized on the issue and mentioned it at candidate forums as one of several examples of what he calls Mr. Pepersack's mismanagement of the sheriff's office.

Mr. Pepersack has acknowledged that he should have asked state Republicans to reimburse the county for the cost of the deputies assigned to the Brock event.

Last week, Mr. Pepersack sent party Chairwoman Joyce L. Terhes a bill for the services of two deputies for two hours at $16.81 per hour each. The bill came to $67.24.

Ms. Terhes sent a check to the sheriff's office Thursday.

Mr. Pepersack said he considers the matter closed.

"If I would have known that's how it worked, it would have been done a long time ago," he told a reporter. "It's done business. If it ever happens again, I'll fax you a copy of the check the next day to show the people have been paid."

But Mr. Johnson isn't quite ready to drop the matter.

"It's like closing the door after the horses got out," Mr. Johnson said. "That's just one of many misuses of manpower. If he thinks that the people of Anne Arundel County are going to let him off the hook that easily, he is sadly mistaken."